14 Facts About Vera Kistiakowsky

Vera Kistiakowsky was an American research physicist, teacher, and arms control activist.

Vera Kistiakowsky was professor emerita at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the physics department and Laboratory for Nuclear Science, and was an activist for women's participation in the sciences.

Vera Kistiakowsky's hobbies included climbing mountains, and she liked to maintain an energetic and fit lifestyle.

Vera Kistiakowsky was the first woman appointed MIT professor of physics in 1972.

Vera Kistiakowsky was the daughter of physical chemist George Kistiakowsky, who taught at Harvard and served as President Dwight D Eisenhower's science adviser.

Vera Kistiakowsky made special arrangements so that she could spend summers in Los Alamos with him where he was working on the Manhattan Project.

Vera Kistiakowsky married Gerhard Fischer, a fellow student at the University of California in Berkeley, in 1951, and had two children.

Vera Kistiakowsky then worked at Brandeis University for a short time as an assistant professor before starting work at MIT in 1963.

Vera Kistiakowsky was senior research scientist in the MIT Department of Physics from 1969 to 1971.

Still, at MIT's Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Vera Kistiakowsky demonstrated a passionate commitment to addressing gender disparities within the scientific community.

Vera Kistiakowsky co-founded WISE, with two colleagues, Elizabeth Baranger and Vera Pless, which advocated for women scientists and developed a committee within the American Physical Society to address gender equality further.

Vera Kistiakowsky served as chair or member on numerous MIT committees and groups relating to women at MIT and affirmative action at MIT, including the Women's Forum, and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Role of Women at MIT.

Vera Kistiakowsky brought attention to the difficulties faced by women in science through speeches and writings.

Vera Kistiakowsky's transformation continues to influence policy, provoke thought, and motivate action, resulting in a scientific community that is more equal and diverse.